Self-taught artist Marvin Young, 64, who has an intellectual and developmental disability, will have his first solo exhibition, “Impressions of a City,” at the Intuit Art Museum in Chicago from April 9 to August 23, 2026. Curated by Christina Stavros, the show features Young’s vivid drawings of Chicago cityscapes, architecture, and portraits, created from memory using graphite, colored pencils, crayons, and markers. Young, who works at Envision Unlimited and Arts of Life—nonprofits supporting people with disabilities—has long dreamed of selling his art, and this exhibition marks a major milestone in that goal.
The exhibition matters because it highlights the underrepresentation of artists with disabilities in the visual arts. According to the National Endowment for the Arts, only 7 percent of arts workers in the U.S. had a disability as of 2019, and barriers like lack of training and stigma persist. Young’s show at a dedicated museum of outsider art not only amplifies his individual talent but also challenges systemic exclusion, offering a model for greater inclusion and representation in the art world.